Spicy Asian Orange Sauce

Citrus fruit is great, and when oranges are in season I usually buy some to make marmalade. This year I wanted to do something different, so I decided to make this Spicy Asian Orange Sauce.

Inspired by Asian flavors, this sauce incorporates Chinese 5 Spice, soy sauce, red chili flakes and garlic to give it some zing! Brown sugar, white sugar and honey gives it some sweetness, and the apple cider vinegar gives it some punch.

Baste it on grilled chicken, pork ribs or ham for a delicious twist.

Recipe

Ingredients
12 medium-sized oranges
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup honey (I use raw local honey)
3/4 cup diced onion
2 tbls. mustard seed
1 tbls. minced garlic
1 tbls. soy sauce (dark soy but you can use any)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbls. red chili flakes (add more if you like spicy)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbls. Chinese 5 spice powder
1 tbls. orange zest (reserved to add to each jar)

Method
Peel all oranges, reserving peel*. Remove any seeds, separate oranges into sections, and add them to a large stock pot with 3 cups water of water. Simmer on low for an hour until fruit is soft. Add onions and simmer for 10 minutes or until onions are soft. Add the rest of the ingredients, simmer for 15 minutes. Using a regular or stick blender pulse the mixture till it’s mostly smooth.

Ladle hot sauce into prepared jars, adding a pinch of the reserved orange zest to each jar and stirring well to combine. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims of the jars with a damp paper towel, removing any food particles that would interfere with a good seal. Add your rings to the tops of each of the jars and turn to seal just "finger tight."

Processing: Add jars to a large stock pot with a rack on the bottom. Cover jars with hot water until the water is 2" over the top of the jars. Cover pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat and boil softly 20 minutes. When complete turn off the heat and remove the cover and let the jars sit for another few minutes. Remove the jars and place them back on the dishtowel in a place that they will sit overnight to cool. Allow jars to sit undisturbed 24 hours. Jars are sealed when button on top of lid is fully depressed. Store jars in pantry up to one year. Refrigerate jars after opening.

Yield:  5 pint jars

*Make Orange Zest with reserved peel - chop/grate orange peel using a food processor, and spread out on rimmed cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 170 degrees and dry zest in oven  over several hours, stirring from time to time (time will vary depending on oven but will be at least 3-4 hours). Once dried completely, store zest in small glass mason jars and use the zest as you would any store-bought zest. Zest will keep on your pantry shelf up to one year. How to use Zest

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Betty's Peach Marmalade

Updated May 2020

Vintage family favorite recipe from my husband's grandmother. It's a wonderful combination of fresh peaches, oranges and cherries. There is no pectin used, you simply cook low and slow, stirring often, until the marmalade thickens naturally.

Wonderfully delicious spread on top of toasted English muffins or scones, and equally good spooned over top of vanilla ice-cream or pound cake.

What do I need to make Peach Marmalade?

• 12 fresh peaches
• 3 oranges
• 1/2-1 cup sweet cherries (optional)
• sugar
• butter
• a LARGE stock pot
• a food processor (or you can hand chop)
• time - marmalade can take up to an hour to thicken

RECIPE
Ingredients
12 good sized peaches
3 oranges (I used naval oranges)
1/2-1 cup sweet cherries, pitted and petite diced (optional)
Sugar equal to the amount of fruit, 1:1 ratio
1 tbsp. butter, to prevent foaming

Method
Blanch peaches 30-60 seconds in boiling water. Immediately plunge peaches in ice water to stop cooking process. Slip skins off peaches, remove pit and dice or process peaches in a food processor.

Cut oranges into wedges, rind and all, and process using the "pulse" setting on your food processor until pieces are quite small.

Dice the cherries into small pieces, if using (I almost never add them)

Combine peaches, ground oranges, and diced cherries and measure to see how much fruit you have.

Place fruit mixture in a large stock pot and add 1 cup sugar for every cup of fruit. Stir well and bring to a boil over a medium-high heat. Add butter, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often to prevent sticking. Be careful, the marmalade will bubble up a lot so you need a very large pot!

Marmalade will thicken as it cooks, and reduce down. This process can take an hour, and possibly longer.

How to tell when your Marmalade is ready?

Use a candy thermometer. When you’re making jam with traditional amounts of sugar, you’re aiming to cook it to 220°F. That’s the temperature at which sugar forms a gel. Monitoring the temperature can give you confirmation that you’re on the right track.

Use the freezer test. At the beginning of cooking, put two or three small plates or bowls in the freezer. As you begin to approach the end of cooking, pull one out and put a small dollop of jam into the middle of the dish. Tuck it back into the freezer for two or three minutes (take your jam off the heat during this time, because if it the test tells you it’s done, you will have just spent three minutes overcooking your jam).When the time is up, pull the dish out of the freezer and gently nudge the dollop of jam with the tip of your finger. If it has formed a skin on top that wrinkles a bit when pushed, it is done. If it is still quite liquid and your finger runs right through it, it’s not done yet.

Give it time. Marmalade can take several days to achieve its finished set. Don’t declare it a failure ten minutes out of the canner.

Fill jars leaving 1/4" head-space. Cover with lids and process 10 minutes in boiling water bath or steam canner. Remove jars and let sit 24 hours undisturbed on your kitchen counter-top. Store unopened jars in your pantry up to one year.

*Recipe is easily doubled since there is no added pectin. Simply keep your fruit to sugar content equal.

Yield: approx. 6 - 8 oz. jelly jars or 3 pint jars

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Orange Marmalade

Updated February 2021

Marmalade is a fruit preserve often made from citrus fruit like oranges. The modern definition of marmalade is a transparent fruit spread made by boiling citrus, water, and sugar together, including the peel. 

Marmalade is typically used as a sweet condiment for toast, biscuits, scones, croissants, and other baked goods. It can also be used as a sweet, fruity addition to cakes or in savory applications as a glaze for meats or vegetables.

I personally love that citrus fruit is in season during the winter months, when everything else is rather gray and dreary; it's a nice little "pick me up."

RECIPE
Ingredients
1 bag oranges (10 medium size or one-5 lb. bag Cuties or Halo mandarin oranges)
6 cups sugar
Thinly cut reserved rind from oranges to equal 2 cups
1 tbsp. butter (to prevent foaming)

Method
Peel oranges (reserving rind), and remove any seeds if necessary. Place peeled oranges in a large stock pot with a small amount of water (approx. 2 cups - you may need to add more as they cook). Cover pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring frequently, until oranges are soft and fall apart.

While the oranges are cooking, place the 2 cups of thinly cut rind into a small saucepan; add water and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes or until rinds are soft. Turn off heat and let sit while you finish the oranges.

Once the oranges are soft, remove from heat and mash (in the same pan) just a bit, removing any tough pieces remaining.

Return stock pot with mashed oranges to your stove top and add 1 cup of sugar for every cup of mashed oranges (I used 6 cups of sugar). Add 1 tbsp. butter to mixture, drained rind pieces, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

Cook, stirring frequently, until digital thermometer reads 220 degrees (approx. 30 minutes). Remove from heat, ladle marmalade into canning jars, cover with seals and rings and process in boiling water bath or steam canner 15 minutes.

Remove jars from water bath or steam canner and let cool on a kitchen towel on your counter-top 24 hours undisturbed. Marmalade will thicken as it cools. Store in pantry up to one year. Opened jars must be refrigerated.

Yield:  4 pint jars

Tip: grind the remaining orange rinds in a food processor, place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and place in a 170 degree oven for approx. 2 hours, stirring from time to time. Allow to cool and store in small mason jars. Use zest as you would with any recipe calling for citrus zest. The shelf life is approx. one year stored in a cool dark place. 1 tsp. dried zest = t tsp. store-bought zest.

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.